HPR volume 19 issue 6: news (26 June 2025)

Updated 27 June 2025

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-report-volume-19-2025/hpr-volume-19-issue-6-news-26-june-2025

STIs and chlamydia screening data release (England): 2024

New data on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and on screening for chlamydia, in England was published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on 4 June, providing comprehensive and up-to-date information on STI diagnoses, sexual health service provision and National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) activity up to the end of 2024 (1).

Data on ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium which causes gonorrhoea, covering the first few months of 2025, has also been published (2).

Overall, there were 9,535 diagnoses of early-stage syphilis diagnoses in 2024 compared to 9,375 diagnoses in 2023 – a 2% rise. The overall figure for syphilis, including late-stage syphilis or complications from the infection, increased 5% from 12,456 in 2023 to 13,030 in 2024.

There was a 16% drop in gonorrhoea cases, with 71,802 diagnoses of gonorrhoea in 2024, compared to 85,370 in 2023. The fall has been greatest in young people aged 15 to 24 years where there was a 36% reduction in diagnoses, but it is too soon to conclude whether this trend will continue.

There has been a concerning acceleration in diagnoses of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea cases. While most gonorrhoea infections can be treated effectively, certain strains present significant treatment challenges due to antibiotic resistance. Ceftriaxone resistance is particularly concerning as this antibiotic serves as the primary treatment for gonorrhoea infections.

Although numbers remain low, ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea cases are being detected more frequently. There have now been 14 cases reported in the first 5 months of 2025, which is greater than the number of cases reported for the whole of 2024 (13 cases). Six of the 14 cases in 2025 have been extensively drug-resistant cases, which means that they were resistant to ceftriaxone and to second-line treatment options.

Most ceftriaxone resistant cases are associated with travel to or from the Asia-Pacific region, where the prevalence of ceftriaxone resistance is high.